Indian police widen cricket spot-fixing probe

INDIAN police said they had widened their probe into cricket spot-fixing after the arrest of three players and 11 bookmakers, warning that more teams were under the microscope.

Test discard Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was among a trio of players from the Rajasthan Royals arrested on Thursday over allegations they agreed to bowl badly during the Indian Premier League in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars.

But speaking to AFP, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar said players for some of the other eight teams involved in the ongoing domestic Twenty20 competition were now under suspicion.

"It is still early but some other teams are also involved" in the rigging, Mr Kumar said by phone. "It is not established yet but we are looking into that," the police chief said.

Spot-fixing is an illegal activity in which a specific part of a game, but not the outcome, is fixed.

Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away 14 runs in an over while playing for the Rajasthan Royals against the Kings XI Punjab on May 9.

His teammate Ankeet Chavan also allegedly agreed to give away the same number of runs in a match Wednesday against the Mumbai Indians in exchange for $110,000.

The third player, Ajit Chandila, was alleged to have been paid $36,000 for giving away a set number of runs in a match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Pune Warriors.

Kumar did not disclose the identity of teams now under the widened police investigation but said he was "hopeful" of a breakthrough.

The Mail Today newspaper also quoted Kumar as saying "there could be much more grime and dirt than we anticipated".

"Many more players and teams have now come under our microscope; the conspiracy is much, much larger," Kumar told the daily.

The three players have already been suspended. Cricket authorities on Sunday said they would launch their own inquiry into the spot-fixing allegations, promising strict action against the disgraced cricketers if they are found guilty.

The Press Trust of India reported that the Rajasthan Royals, which is co-owned by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, would also press criminal charges against Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila.

The news agency said police have asked hotels in cities such as Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Hyderabad for footage of their security cameras to try and establish that the players met bookmakers also now in police custody.